One Week of Summer
by Marj
Summary: What were Miyuki and Natsumi up to when they were young?
1. Day One: First Contact

_DISCLAIMER:  
_Taiho Shichauzo/You're Under Arrest is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and is presented by TBS, Kodansha Ltd., Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., and Marubani Corporation. Japanese manga presented by Kodansha Morning Party Extra, English adaptation brought by Dark Horse and Studio Proteus. I own nothing, zip, wala, nada, (except this fic) so please don't sue me!

_AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
_I got inspired to work on this fic when I saw the first page of this YUA doujinshi I saved somewhere on the net. As only the first page was scanned (frown) I just had to think of something to continue it! I actually used that scene in the first part of this fic to get it going.

I'm assuming that Miyuki once lived at Katsuura City, Chiba Preferecture, where they held their high school reunion in OAV 3.

This fic is actually pretty old, but I thought about uploading it anyway. At least I can finally get a multi-chaptered story up in that's complete!

* * *

**DAY ONE: FIRST CONTACT**

* * *

Four-year-old Tsujimoto Natsumi swerved her tricycle as she followed the concrete path in the park she and her parents were visiting. It was the middle of summer, and her family had decided to take a small vacation at Katsuura City, Chiba Preferecture in Tokyo, a few miles away from home. The day was so beautiful, her parents decided to have a small picnic at the park near their hotel. So while her mother was preparing the food, Natsumi set out on her trike - her present the previous Christmas - to work on her appetite before lunch.

She was happily pedaling along when she suddenly found her road blocked by a small car, its occupant a small girl whose age was the same as hers. Natsumi moved to the left, but the other girl also moved to the left. Natsumi tried the other direction, but the girl also moved the same way.

"Mou Why are you blocking my way?" the little girl asked.

"I should be asking you that!" Natsumi replied.

Kobayakawa Miyuki pouted. She always rode this path ever since she got her pedal car for her birthday, and she had never encountered anyone head-to-head on the path before. "I don't really mean to. Please move your bike so I can move."

Natsumi frowned. "Why should I move? I was here first! You and your big ugly car only came now!"

"Hey! I was here first, and my car is not ugly!" Miyuki argued. "My car is way better than your little bike!"

"It may be little, but it's faster than yours ever will!" Natsumi boasted proudly.

"Is not!"

"Is, too!"

"Is not!"

"Is, too! That car is so heavy, it would be hard to pedal!" Natsumi pointed out.

Miyuki was at the verge of crying, but she wouldn't let the newcomer get the upper hand. "You wanna race?"

"Ha! You'll lose!"

"We'll see!"

"All right." Natsumi moved her bike to the grass, Miyuki following suit.

Both girls placed their vehicles side by side. Miyuki pointed to a tree a few meters away from them. "First one to reach the tree wins."

"Okay." Natsumi leaned forward, a smirk on her face. "Ready? Set?"

"GO!" Both girls shouted.

Natsumi knew that she would win, but she still pedaled furiously anyway so that she could boast that she won by a huge margin. But to her surprise, no matter how hard she tried, the young girl she met had the lead, and that she couldn't keep up.

Miyuki was smiling widely as Natsumi finally reached the tree, panting. "Wow, you are good!" Natsumi admitted.

"Thank you!" Miyuki said. "You were good, too!"

"Friends?" Natsumi asked, extending her hand, which Miyuki accepted.

"Friends!"

The two little girls continued to ride on their vehicles, this time traveling together.

"By the way . . ." Natsumi started. "I know you know that that car is heavy, but you were still so fast! How'd you do it?"

"Easy!" Miyuki smiled at her. "My car has a motor."

--  
_"One week of summer, that was fulfilling as a year, seemed as short as a day . . ."  
__-Morisato Keiichi Ah! Megami-sama OAV 5: "For the Love of Goddess"_


	2. Day Two: Car Drive

_DISCLAIMER:_  
Taiho Shichauzo/You're Under Arrest is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and is presented by TBS, Kodansha Ltd., Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., and Marubani Corporation. Japanese manga presented by Kodansha Morning Party Extra, English adaptation brought by Dark Horse and Studio Proteus. I own nothing, zip, wala, nada, (except this fic) so please don't sue me!

* * *

**DAY TWO: CAR DRIVE**

* * *

Little Natsumi and Miyuki were strolling along, hand in hand, when Miyuki suddenly stopped as something caught her attention. "Hey, Natsumi," she said excitedly. "Let's drive!"

"What?!" Natsumi looked at the car Miyuki was pointing at. "We can't do that!"

"Why not?" Miyuki ran towards the car and sat on the driver's seat. "C'mon! It'll be fun!"

Natsumi hesitantly sat beside her. "But we can't start the car!"

"I'll take care of that!" Miyuki fished something out from her pants pocket.

Natsumi stared at it. "Wh-where did you get that?"

"My daddy." Miyuki leaned over from the seat. "I took it from him."

Within minutes, the car was running. Miyuki climbed back up on the seat. "Now what?" Natsumi asked. "We can't even reach the pedals!"

"I'll take care of the driving and . . . what was that . . . clutch! You push the pedal when I tell you to!"

Natsumi pouted at Miyuki. "But I won't be able to see a thing!"

"Then we switch places later!"

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yup! It's already on anyway."

Natsumi sighed. "Okay, okay." She kneeled down under the steering wheel. "Which one do I push?"

"Uh . . ." Miyuki glanced at the rearview mirror. "The . . . right one, I think."

Natsumi pressed the right pedal. "It's not working . . ."

"Uhh . . . the left one!" Natsumi transferred her weight to the other pedal. "Now what?"

"Hmm . . ." Miyuki looked thoughtfully at the clutch. She pushed it upwards, absentmindedly saying at the same time, "Try the right one again."

As soon as Natsumi pressed the right pedal, Miyuki cheered. "We're moving!!"

"Really?!" Natsumi shifted her weight, about to stand up so she could see.

"No, don't stand up! We'll stop moving!" Miyuki said.

Natsumi sighed again. "Promise we'll change places later, okay?" She pressed the pedal harder.

"The car is going faster . . ." Miyuki said nervously, carefully steering the vehicle.

"What are you two girls doing?" Miyuki's father asked them from the back.

Miyuki and Natsumi jumped in surprise and looked guiltily at the older man. "Da-daddy!" Miyuki squeeked.

"How long have you been there, mister?" Natsumi asked.

"Long enough to see you run the car."

Miyuki took her hands off the steering wheel to face her father completely. "I-I'm sorry! I just wanted . . ."

"Never mind that now, dear! Look out!!"

"Huh?" Miyuki turned her attention back on the road, where she could see an obstacle right in front of them!

"Natsumi! Natsumi, breaks!!" Miyuki shouted frantically, trying to steer the car to safety.

"What breaks?! Which one is it?!"

"P-press anything! Hurry!"

Natsumi shifted from the right pedal to another pedal. Just when Miyuki thought they were going to ram into the obstacle, the car came into a complete stop. She slumped down the seat, where she had been standing as she drove. "Whew!"

"Did we hit anything?" Natsumi asked.

"No." Miyuki looked at the windshield. "Aww."

"What's wrong, dear?" Her father asked.

"The car is not running anymore."

"Awww!" Natsumi whined, upset that she was not able to drive.

Miyuki turned around and looked at her father with innocent, puppy dog eyes.

"Do you have any more coins, Daddy?"

--  
_"One week of summer, that was fulfilling as a year, seemed as short as a day . . ."  
-Morisato Keiichi Ah! Megami-sama OAV 5: "For the Love of Goddess"_


	3. Day Three: Face Paint

_DISCLAIMER:_  
Taiho Shichauzo/You're Under Arrest is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and is presented by TBS, Kodansha Ltd., Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., and Marubani Corporation. Japanese manga presented by Kodansha Morning Party Extra, English adaptation brought by Dark Horse and Studio Proteus. I own nothing, zip, wala, nada, (except this fic) so please don't sue me!

* * *

**DAY THREE: FACE PAINT**

* * *

Miyuki had been sitting quietly inside the Tsujimoto's hotel room when Natsumi came by, dragging a huge case with her. "What's that?" Miyuki asked.

"Face paint," Natsumi said, lifting the case and laying it on the table. "I see my mom use this sometimes on her face. You wanna try it?"

"Does your mommy know?" Miyuki asked, moving aside as Natsumi sat beside her in front of the dresser.

Natsumi shook her head. "Nope. But I'm sure she won't mind."

The little girls opened the case, in which they were greeted with an assortment of colors and brushes. "Look! So many paintbrushes!" Miyuki exclaimed.

Natsumi examined the contents, a huge smile on her face. "Where do we start?"

"Where does your mommy use this?" Miyuki asked, lifting up a brown pencil.

"I think she uses that for the eyes. Here, let me try it."

While Natsumi was using the pencil, Miyuki picked up another brush. "Ah! I think my mommy has this, too!"

"Really? Where does it go?"

"Here, I think . . ." Miyuki pointed at her cheeks.

"Use it then!"

Miyuki brushed it against the two colors it came with in its case and applied it.

"Very nice," Natsumi commented.

"Isn't it?" Miyuki looked at her proudly. "Yours is very nice, too!"

Natsumi tossed the pencil she had been using in the case. "What else do we have here?"

"What about this?" Miyuki asked, giggling as she looked at the new brush she was holding. "It looks like a cute little cotton bud!"

"This one, too . . ." Natsumi said, digging up a small plastic case with a similar brush.

Miyuki inspected the brushes they were holding. "Aren't they for the eyes, too?"

"I think so. But I already used the pencil . . ."

"Maybe it would look prettier if you put both?"

"Maybe." Natsumi opened the plastic casing and took the brush.

Miyuki then took out a peculiar looking contraption. "Ooh! Look! It looks like one of the big, pretty tools Daddy has in his shop!"

Natsumi looked at it and shuddered. "I don't like it."

"Why not?"

"Mom puts that near her eyes like this . . ." Natsumi grabbed her eyelashes with her fingers. "And then she presses them down hard!"

Miyuki winced. "But doesn't that hurt?"

"I think it does!"

"I don't want it then." Miyuki returned the "tool." "I won't be able to use it anyway."

Natsumi's father was amusedly watching the two kids from where he was sitting on the bed. His wife arrived, looking slightly flushed. "Did you see my make-up kit?" she asked. "I've been looking for it everywhere!"

"Relax, Hon. They're right over there," Natsumi's father pointed at the two girls, who's backs were facing them.

Natsumi's mother smiled. "I guess all little girls pass by that period when they just have to use their mother's make-up, huh?"

Natsumi's father nodded. "That's right, Honey. But it could have been better."

"What do you mean?"

"What I had meant," her husband said, "was that they could have used your make-up on their faces, not on the faces in their coloring books."

Natsumi's mother sighed.

--  
_"One week of summer, that was fulfilling as a year, seemed as short as a day . . ."  
-Morisato Keiichi Ah! Megami-sama OAV 5: "For the Love of Goddess"_


	4. Day Four: Innocent Mistake

_DISCLAIMER:_  
Taiho Shichauzo/You're Under Arrest is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and is presented by TBS, Kodansha Ltd., Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., and Marubani Corporation. Japanese manga presented by Kodansha Morning Party Extra, English adaptation brought by Dark Horse and Studio Proteus. I own nothing, zip, wala, nada, (except this fic) so please don't sue me!

* * *

**DAY FOUR: INNOCENT MISTAKE**

* * *

"Now you little girls behave while I talk to somebody, okay?" Miyuki's father told his daughter and her friend as they entered the office where he worked.

Miyuki nodded and watched her father enter his colleague's room. Natsumi ran towards the window and gawked at the sight that laid before her.

"Wow! So many cars and motorcycles!" she exclaimed.

"Daddy helps make a lot of cars," Miyuki said, standing beside Natsumi.

"Do they race?"

"Sometimes. Once a big man with furry hair under his nose and black glasses came with a boy. The man used one of the new motorcycles in a race," Miyuki informed. "Daddy takes me with him sometimes, so I saw the man ride."

"Really? What did the boy do?"

Miyuki shrugged. "I don't know. He just watched, I think. I can't tell because he was wearing black glasses, too . . ."

"Hmm . . . I wonder if they're monsters who can't look at the light?" Natsumi teased, remembering the previous night when they stayed up to watch horror movies with the Kobayakawa's neighbor while their parents were away. Miyuki couldn't stop screaming afterwards.

Miyuki covered her ears and frowned. "Stop that! You know I'm scared of monsters!"

"How come? Those are just movies!"

"They're still scary!!"

"You wanna watch again today?"

"NO!"

"WILL YOU LITTLE GIRLS PIPE DOWN?!" A huge, deep voice suddenly said.

Miyuki squealed in fright and grabbed Natsumi's arm by instinct. Natsumi, shocked and scared at first, turned around to face the big, burly man.

"Aw, we're not doing anything bad, mister," she said.

"YES YOU ARE. THE LOUD NOISE YOU ARE MAKING IS INTERRUPTING EVERYONE AT WORK!"

Miyuki bit her lip and spoke in a small voice, "So how come you're making loud noise, too?"

The employees who were listening to the exchange chuckled.

The huge man glared at Miyuki, who responded by hiding further behind Natsumi. "YOU."

Miyuki trembled as Natsumi moved over her protectively. "Yes?"

"YOU'RE WAITING FOR YOUR FATHER, ARE YOU?"

"Yes."

"THEN BOTH OF YOU SIT ON THAT CHAIR AND WAIT FOR HIM QUIETLY."

"But . . ." Natsumi started saying.

"NO BUTS!!"

Miyuki meekly followed the man's orders while Natsumi stuck her tongue out at him while he was not looking. The two girls sat on the chair he indicated.

"THIS IS MY TABLE. I'LL BE WATCHING YOU . . ." The man said, before turning around and walking away.

Natsumi made a face at him before grumpily slumping down the chair. Miyuki just pouted. "I don't like that man . . ." she admitted. "He's scary!"

"I hate him, too. Hey . . ." Natsumi suddenly perked up as she noticed the computer that laid in front of them, the familiar MS-DOS C: prompt on screen. "Can we play?"

"I don't know . . ." Miyuki said, but Natsumi started pounding on the keyboard anyway.

"How do we make this thing work anyway?"

Miyuki turned her attention to the DOS Instruction Manual that was beside the CPU. "Maybe this will help?" she said, picking up the book and leafing through the pages.

Natsumi looked at her and frowned as soon as she saw how thick the manual was. "But reading that is so boring!" she complained. When Miyuki did not respond and seemed so absorbed into reading, Natsumi shrugged and continued to type away.

It wasn't very long when Natsumi heard Miyuki slam the book shut. Turning to face her, she was surprised to see a satisfied look on Miyuki's face. "Did you find out how to make this thing work?" Natsumi asked.

Miyuki shook her head.

"But didn't you read the book?"

Miyuki nodded. "So what'd it say?"

"I'm not sure." Miyuki looked at the book that laid on her lap. "The pictures didn't look very nice - they're all black and white, and they weren't very many."

"Oh."

Miyuki moved closer to the monitor and the keyboard. "What are you doing?"

Natsumi was frowning at the monitor. "It keeps saying the same thing . . ." she complained, staring at the "Bad command or filename" messages. "The TV's a mess. How do we get rid of the letters?"

"I don't know . . ." Miyuki started typing random letters on the keyboard. "Maybe I should ask Daddy to teach me how to use this one day."

Natsumi nodded. "Yeah . . . the only thing I know how to press is this one . . ." she pointed at the Enter key.

"Me, too." Miyuki pressed the key.

The screen completely cleared out all the letters and returned to the C: prompt.

Natsumi's eyes widened. "What'd you do?"

"I'm not sure . . . I just put in a word I saw in the book."

"What else does it say there?" Natsmi grabbed the book and browsed through it. "Here, let's try this."

She copied the commands from the book and pressed Enter. An "Are you sure Y/N message flashed on screen.

"What do we press now?" Miyuki asked.

"Uhh . . . I think you should press Y." Miyuki reached over and pressed the Y key. A few nanoseconds later, the command "del .bak" executed and brought both girls back to the C: prompt.

Natsumi groaned. "This is so boring! The book is too thick and I hate guessing - what else can we do? Oh!" She sat up straighter and typed in a few keys.

Minutes later, Miyuki's father came out to find the little girls sitting on one corner of the room, while one of the new employees was crying in another corner. Wondering what happened, he ushered the girls out of the chairs. "C'mon, girls. Let's go."

"So, what did you kids do inside the office while I was gone?" he asked while he strapped his daughter with the seatbelt at the front seat.

"We played the computer, Daddy. Could you teach me how to use it one day?"

Miyuki's father smiled. "Sure thing, dear. And what did you girls played on the computer?"

"Oh, we were counting from 0 to 100 with it!" Natsumi said.

"Counting from 0 to 100? Funny . . . I don't remember installing any programs like that on that employee's computer. How'd you make it count?"

"Easy. I just put something I saw my dad did the other day, when he just got our new computer," Natsumi said proudly. "It was in the book. That's why I remembered!"

"And what were the letters you entered?"

"F-O-R-M-A-T."

--  
_"One week of summer, that was fulfilling as a year, seemed as short as a day . . ."  
-Morisato Keiichi Ah! Megami-sama OAV 5: "For the Love of Goddess"_


	5. Day Five: Shopping Spree

_DISCLAIMER:_  
Taiho Shichauzo/You're Under Arrest is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and is presented by TBS, Kodansha Ltd., Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., and Marubani Corporation. Japanese manga presented by Kodansha Morning Party Extra, English adaptation brought by Dark Horse and Studio Proteus. I own nothing, zip, wala, nada, (except this fic) so please don't sue me!

* * *

**DAY FIVE: SHOPPING SPREE**

* * *

It was one particularly sunny day, which Natsumi's and Miyuki's parents decided to spend together with their children. They had enjoyed each other's company for the entire morning, and were wasting the afternoon idly hanging around Katsuura City.

Natsumi and Miyuki were strolling slightly ahead of their parents when they came to a stop, Natsumi squealing in delight when they had. She turned towards her father, who looked at her expectedly. "Yes?"

"Can I have my allowance now, dad?"

Her father chuckled. "I wish you never remembered," he said, handing his daughter a 200 bill.

"Thank you! Now I can get that one!" Natsumi exclaimed, pointing at the small toy house near Miyuki's father.

The four adults groaned. "Are you sure, Natsumi-chan?" Miyuki's mother asked. "Both you and Miyuki already have plenty of those. Do you really need more to add to your collection?"

Natsumi stubbornly shook her head. "I want that one."

The two fathers looked at each other before shrugging. "It's their money, I guess . . ." Miyuki's father said.

"You mean ours. We supply them the money."

"We do, don't we?"

"Oh, definitely."

"Oh, I think I like this one . . ." Natsumi's mother said, pausing near a sign.

"Dear, you already have that," her husband said.

"I do?" She looked at the things she had bought for that day and noticed the same object she craved about. "Oh."

Miyuki slightly frowned. "We keep going around in circles . . . can't we do something else?"

Natsumi agreed. "Yeah, this is boring. I wanna go to the carnival."

"Now kids, you've had your fun earlier, now give us a chance," Natsumi's father lightly scolded, just as Miyuki's own father paused and mumbled slightly before deciding to purchase something of his own.

The two kids silently waited for him to finish before finally moving on.

After a few minutes, Natsumi's father paused at a particularly expensive site. His wife smiled at him sweetly, making him fidget nervously. "How much do you think you'll have to pay for this?"

"P-pay? You're not serious, are you?"

"Let's see . . ." Natsumi said, leaning beside Miyuki, who was holding a card with her two hands. "It costs this much, and then there's all the added stuff . . ."

Miyuki, by then, was grinning widely. "Six thousand."

"WHAT?" Natsumi's father paled, while the rest of them giggled. "You can't be serious!"

Miyuki's father laid a hand on his shoulder. "My daughter's good at addition. I don't think she made a mistake."

"Wouldn't you want to recheck to make sure anyway?"

"I'm not in your position. Lucky me!"

Miyuki's mother grinned.

"Come on!" Natsumi's mother swatted her husband lightly on his shoulder. "That's not so bad."

Her husband looked at her with a defeated look on his face. "That's what you think."

Taking out twelve 500 bills, he handed it to Miyuki's outstretched hand, who accepted it happily. "Thank you!" Miyuki said sweetly.

"Aargh! I'm bankrupt!!" Natsumi's father exclaimed, looking at the remaining five 20 bills he had in his hand. "I saved so much for that!"

"Rules are rules," Miyuki's mother reminded him, while his wife giggled madly. "After all, who was it that suggested that we give the kids Boardwalk and Park Place as handicap anyway?"

Miyuki's father nodded. "Add it with all the houses they bought, they made two dangerous cash boxes right before the Go sign . . ." he noted, sighing as he looked at his own remaining bills – a previous victim of the same location.

"So did we win?" Natsumi asked, both her and Miyuki looking expectantly at their parents.

"NOOO!!" her father exclaimed, standing up. "I will not lose to two children! AGAIN!!"

"Again?!" Miyuki groaned.

And so the two kids were forced by their parents to go through another round of Monopoly . . .

--  
_"One week of summer, that was fulfilling as a year, seemed as short as a day . . ."  
– Morisato Keiichi Ah! Megami-sama OAV 5: "For the Love of Goddess"_


	6. Day Six: My Best Friend

_DISCLAIMER:_  
Taiho Shichauzo/You're Under Arrest is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and is presented by TBS, Kodansha Ltd., Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., and Marubani Corporation. Japanese manga presented by Kodansha Morning Party Extra, English adaptation brought by Dark Horse and Studio Proteus. I own nothing, zip, wala, nada, (except this fic) so please don't sue me!

* * *

**DAY SIX: MY BEST FRIEND**

* * *

Miyuki opened her eyes.

Normally, she never woke up very early during Saturday mornings. Yet she and Natsumi had been exhausted from spending the rest of the previous day playing at the carnival (as soon as their parents gave up on Monopoly) that they fell asleep hours before bedtime.

Turning over in an attempt to go back to sleep, she was slightly shocked upon seeing Natsumi sleeping fitfully beside her. Staring at her for a short while, Miyuki sighed before standing up to answer to the call of nature.

Upon opening the door, she was greeted with the sight of Natsumi's parents sleeping on the sofa bed inside their living room. Smiling to herself – the adults must have held a small party the previous night – she walked towards the bathroom, spending a short time there before returning to her room.

When she returned, however, she found Natsumi sitting on her bed, watching the sunrise.

Silently closing the door, she padded her way towards Natsumi and sat beside her. "Good morning!" she greeted cheerfully.

Natsumi gave her a faint smile. "Good morning."

"Don't worry. You're mommy and daddy are sleeping outside."

"I know." Natsumi sighed.

Miyuki looked at her worriedly, noting the depressed tone in her friend's voice. "Is there something wrong?"

". . . Nah." Natsumi let herself fall, her back landing on Miyuki's bed.

"Oh."

"Can I ask you a question?" Natsumi lifted her head so that she could look at her friend's wide blue eyes.

Miyuki tilted her head slightly. "What is it?"

"Where are your friends?"

Miyuki shrugged. "They went away with their mommy and daddy. They said they wanted to go see Tokyo."

"All of them?"

"Yup."

Natsumi moved so that she was facing the same direction Miyuki was, laying flat on her belly. "How come you didn't go, too?"

"Daddy said he had a lot of stuff to do." Miyuki answered. "But he said we'll go there next time."

Natsumi nodded mutely, returning her attention to the rising sun.

"How about you, Natsumi? Are your friends away this summer, too?" her friend inquired.

She shook her head. "No. I'm the only one who left. After all, I already live in Tokyo. Dad just wanted to visit Katsuura."

Miyuki twiddled her index fingers together in a slight gesture of insecurity. "Do you . . . wish you never left?"

"Hmm? No! Of course not!" Natsumi exclaimed, pushing herself to a sitting position. "If I didn't go . . . I wouldn't have met you . . ." she continued, her voice softening as she said the last sentence. "And I wouldn't like that."

Miyuki gave her a warm, sincere smile. "I wouldn't like that, too."

They were surrounded with silence as they continued to view the sunrise, the sky filling with soft silhouettes of red and orange as the sun rose to bathe the earth with its warm light.

Fidgeting slightly, Natsumi stared at the carpet inside Miyuki's room, deciding that perhaps it was time to let her friend know what was bothering her. "We'll be . . . leaving tomorrow."

Miyuki was startled by her words, but she kept silent and continued to listen.

"School will start soon. And I'll be seeing my old friends again, and so would you . . . " Natsumi hugged her knees closer to her. "I don't know if we're ever coming back here . . . I don't know if I'll ever see you again.

I wish . . . you were one of my friends back home. We've only met but . . . we had so much fun! You're the bestest friend I ever had!"

Miyuki closed her eyes and nodded. "Me too . . . But you know, Natsumi?" She turned towards her friend, the smile she had still on her face. "Today. We still have today."

Natsumi wiped the tears that began falling from her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "Today?"

Her friend nodded. "We'll make today the best we ever had . . . so that we'll always remember . . . and then when we grow up, we'll find each other again."

Natsumi stared at the sunrise, silently musing over Miyuki's words. "Today . . ." She nodded, her first genuine smile for the day appearing on her face. "Today will forever and ever be meaningful to me . . . and my best friend."

Hand in hand, the two little children continued to watch the sunrise on the television set inside Miyuki's room, not aware that, outside and covered by the window's thick curtains, the real sun was rising as well, signifying the beginning of a day that would forever remain significant for the rest of their young lives together.

--  
_"One week of summer, that was fulfilling as a year, seemed as short as a day . . ."  
– Morisato Keiichi Ah! Megami-sama OAV 5: "For the Love of Goddess"_


	7. Day Seven: Until We Meet Again

_DISCLAIMER:  
_Taiho Shichauzo/You're Under Arrest is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and is presented by TBS, Kodansha Ltd., Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., and Marubani Corporation. Japanese manga presented by Kodansha Morning Party Extra, English adaptation brought by Dark Horse and Studio Proteus. "Kokoro no Takarabako" (The Heart's Treasure Chest) is owned by Squaresoft Ltd. I own nothing, zip, wala, nada, (except this fic) so please don't sue me!

* * *

**DAY SEVEN: UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN**

* * *

Seasons come and seasons go. Some may seem to take long before they pass by, yet most of them take place faster than the blink of a human eye.

For Natsumi, that summer was both the longest and the shortest she ever had.

The hours she had spent playing with her newfound friend seemed to have taken place in such a short time, and yet it also seemed as if a single day they had shared together was already as much as a year full of laughter and happiness.

This made parting even more difficult.

Natsumi sat on one of her mother's baggage as they lined in front of a counter for tickets. Her attention was not on the box where her trike laid. For once, she was not thinking of how much fun she would have when she showed the bike to her friends at home. Instead, her lavender eyes were focused on the staircase leading to the station.

She didn't know if Miyuki's family would actually come and see them off. Yet she had to hope.

A train stopped at the station. It was the train that would take them back to Tokyo. Natsumi flinched, never expecting that the one that would take her back to her home and to her old friends would be the one that would make her heart constrict with sadness.

Never in her life had Natsumi actually hoped to see the cause of her grief. Yet she still sat there, waiting. _One last time . . ._ Natsumi thought, looking at the ticket counter, hoping against all hope that they won't be able to get their ticket until the last possible moment. _Just give me one last time._

* * *

Miyuki was running ahead of her parents, clutching a slightly huge box wrapped in beautiful paper. Panting as she climbed up the almost impossibly high stairs, she barely paused to catch her breath, determined to reach her friend before the train that had arrived leaves.

"Miyuki, slow down! We'll make it!" Her father said, taking huge strides just to keep up with his only child.

But she barely listened.

Upon reaching the platform, her parents looked around, trying to search for Natsumi's parents, Miyuki's mother placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder to prevent her from getting lost. Miyuki's heart pounded as her blue eyes darted from one location to another, searching for the familiar face.

Somehow, perhaps through some miracle, the crowd in front of her parted, and their gazes met, just before Natsumi and her family entered the platform. Joy ran through her as she took hold of her mother's hand and tugged it. "Mommy, mommy! They're over there!"

At that same moment, Natsumi shocked her parents by jumping off, running towards Miyuki as fast as she possibly could.

Their parents could only smile fondly as their children embraced. "Don't you just wish that adults could be as innocent as children are, never hesitating to show their affection for each other in public?" Miyuki's mother asked.

"And that wild, yet beautiful sense of imagination . . ." Natsumi's mother chuckled. "If only they could stay as kids forever."

Yet the look on Natsumi's father's face was a look of concern. "Still, Natsumi is going to be pretty lonely for the next few days without Miyuki."

Miyuki's father snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah!" He fished into the pocket of his shirt and took out a small cream-colored card. "My business card. At least you'll have some way of contacting us."

Natsumi's father grinned. "Too bad I'm a wrestler - I don't usually give out business cards."

"We'll just wait for you to write us a letter or such," Miyuki's mother said. "We can reply through the return address."

"If only I have a piece of paper and a pen, then I could give you our current address . . ." Natsumi's father started patting his pockets.

Miyuki and Natsumi watched as their parents conversed, before looking at each other and shrugging. "What are they talking about?" Miyuki asked.

"Beats me. I can't hear them," Natsumi answered. "Say, have you ever been inside a train? Would you like to see what's inside?"

"I don't know . . ." Miyuki looked skeptical.

"It's just for a while. Oh, mom," Natsumi said, tugging at her mother's sleeves. Her mother did not even so much as look at her. "Mom, I'll be taking Miyuki inside the train, okay?"

Her mother, while browsing through her bag in search for a pen, just made shooing gestures and absently said, "Don't go too far."

"We won't!" Natsumi assured, eagerly grabbing her friend's free hand and dragging her towards the train.

A policeman saw them entering the passenger only area, and he made his way towards them, blocking their passage. "Hello, mister!" Natsumi greeted.

"Hello, little girl. Are you going to go inside the train?" the policeman asked amusedly.

Natsumi nodded. "Uh huh. My ticket is with my mom over there!" she said, pointing to where her parents stood.

"Uhh . . ." Miyuki stammered.

The policeman looked up, just in time to see a brown haired woman waving towards them. He tipped his cap, then smiled at the two kids in front of him. The kids must have been too excited to wait for their mother. "Okay, I'll let you go in."

Miyuki was about to comment that she did not have any ticket when Natsumi started to drag her inside. "C'mon!" her friend said.

The policeman continued to look at them amusedly, failing to notice that another man approached the woman who had been waving earlier, a small, year old, brown-haired child in his arms. The woman took the baby from him, and they left the station together.

* * *

"Wow . . . !" Miyuki said as she moved around the wide corridors of the train, her eyes wandering as she marveled at the site before her. "It looks just like in the picture book daddy gave me!"

"Isn't it cool?" Natsumi asked, hopping on one of the comfortable chairs. "It does get kinda boring though, 'specially if we make long trips."

Miyuki sat beside her friend, the box she was carrying placed gently beside her. "Daddy likes giving me picture books with cars and trains and airplanes in them," she said. "I always ride on daddy's car, but sometimes I wish I could go on airplane and train rides."

"I always ride on dad's big motorcycle. It's so fun, that I want to have one when I grow up!" Natsumi informed her. Then she grinned mischievously at Miyuki. "I don't think you're going to get a car, though."

Miyuki pouted. "And why is that?"

"Remember when we played the car at the game place? You hit the huge truck!"

"It was just a game!"

"But isn't it, if you're bad at that one, then you're also bad at real driving?"

"Hmph." Miyuki crossed her arms. "Fine. I'm going to be a great driver someday, you'll see!! Besides . . ." She looked at Natsumi with a lop-sided smile. "Who was the one who won in our race?"

"That was still unfair of you, you know!" Natsumi argued.

"You never asked if my car had a motor!"

The sound of a loud whistle echoed through the air. Miyuki and Natsumi looked up. "What's that?" Miyuki asked.

Natsumi shrugged. "Don't really know."

"Oh, well." Miyuki, seated beside the window, looked outside and saw their parents talking near the platform. "Look! There's mommy and daddy! Do you think they'll see me here?"

"Let's pretend that the train is leaving, and that we're waving goodbye!" Natsumi suggested.

And so, Miyuki and Natsumi waved and tried to catch their parents's attention, failing to notice the train whistle once more . . .

* * *

Natsumi's father looked at his watch. "There goes the second whistle. We have to get going if we don't want to be left behind," he said.

Miyuki's father shook hands with him. "It was good knowing you. Too bad we can't find a pen . . . Tell Natsumi-chan to write - Miyuki doesn't really have that many friends, and she'll be happy to hear from her."

"Speaking of the kids, where are they . . . ?!" Natsumi's mother gasped.

Her husband looked at her questioningly. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She pointed wordlessly at the train carriage. Both Natsumi and Miyuki were inside, smiling widely as they saw all four adults staring at them in shock.

"We have to get Miyuki out of there!" Miyuki's father said as they ran towards the train, the Tsujimotos dragging their luggage behind them. Before they could even step on the platform, however, a policeman stopped them.

"I'm sorry, sirs, madams, but I need your tickets," he said politely.

The Tsujimotos immediately handed him their three tickets, without even bothering to explain for whom the third one was for. While the policeman was scratching his head about the ticket - which allowed a child to be admitted, though there was no child in sight - the two adults quickly rushed towards the train, while the Kobayakawas looked on worriedly.

Natsumi's mother and father had just barely stepped inside the train when the door suddenly closed automatically behind them. "Oh, no!" Natsumi's mother exclaimed.

Outside, Miyuki's mother fainted.

* * *

Later on.

Natsumi and Miyuki quietly sat in front of Natsumi's parents, staring at them with looks that said "We're in trouble, aren't we?". Natsumi's father was leaning forward with his hand on his forehead, while Natsumi's mother sat still with her hands on her lap. One of the train's attendants stood beside their couch, having been called to address the problem.

"What are we going to do with the two of you?" Natsumi's father asked in an exasperated voice.

Natsumi fidgeted on her seat. "Well . . . when I asked mom, she didn't say 'no' . . . so I didn't think anything was wrong."

The attendant found himself smiling. Once a child gives a reason such as that, there's no way the adults can place the blame on them.

Natsumi's father looked at his wife, who had a very guilty look on her face. "I'm sorry. I was distracted," she apologized. He sighed.

The attendant cleared his throat and finally spoke. "There's nothing we can do about this now. We're just going to have to drop Miyuki off at the next station."

Natsumi and Miyuki leaned forward, startled. "But why?!" Natsumi demanded.

"Natsumi, Miyuki has to go back home," her mother reasoned.

"So? Can't she just come home with us and let her mom and dad pick her up there?"

Her father looked at her sternly. "First of all Natsumi, Miyuki shouldn't even be on this train - it's very bad if you go inside without tickets."

Miyuki flinched.

"Secondly, I don't want Miyuki's parents to wait that long before they get her back."

"What your father is saying, dear," Natsumi's mother gently said, ". . . is that he does not want Miyuki's parents to get very worried about her. Would you want us to get very sad and worried if you had disappeared?"

Natsumi looked down at the floor. "No."

Miyuki fidgeted on her seat, a scared look on her young features. "Am I . . . am I going to get into trouble?" she asked meekly.

"No you won't, Miyuki-chan," Natsumi's father gave her a reassuring smile. "We're just going to ask somebody to take you home."

"Somebody?"

"Somebody who will take really good care of you, and bring you back to your parents. I promise," he said, reaching out to hold Miyuki's hand. He then turned towards the attendant. "Can we get in contact with the police?" he asked.

The attendant nodded. "We can call the railway police now. We'll be needing information, though . . ."

"All right." Natsumi's parents stood up. "Don't you kids go anywhere now. Understand?" her father said.

The two kids nodded, and watched as the adults moved towards the front carriage.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, Natsumi guiltily looked at Miyuki. "I . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean . . . that you . . ." She sniffed.

"That's okay. It's my fault too, I guess. I really wanted to see the inside of the train . . ." Yet Miyuki looked extremely worried.

"I still wish I could take you home with me. Then you don't have to go home with a stranger, and you can see my house, and I can get my friends to meet you if they're there already, and . . ."

"Natsumi . . ." Miyuki said gently, catching her friend's attention.

"What?"

Miyuki bit her lip. "I . . . I want to go home."

Natsumi looked at her with shock. "But why? If you come home with me, we can still have lots of time together! I don't want you to go yet! I want us to play some more!!"

"But Natsumi . . . I'm scared. I want my mommy and daddy . . . I want to go home . . ." Miyuki said, trying hard not to let her feelings of fright and helplessness carry her away.

Disappointment clearly flashed across Natsumi's face, and she turned away, afraid that if she looked at Miyuki more, she would start crying.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Miyuki gently fingered the ribbon her mother had placed on the box she held. Then she lifted it and gave it to Natsumi. "For you."

"For me? Really??" Natsumi temporarily forgot her displeasure towards her friend. As one who absolutely loved receiving presents, she practically pounced at the box. "It's not even my birthday . . ."

Miyuki watched, smiling as her friend enthusiastically tore through the paper she had painstakingly wrapped around the gift the previous night. "It's a helmet," she said as Natsumi lifted the dark blue helmet from the box where it was held. "I noticed that you were not wearing any, and daddy and his friends say it's not good if you ride on a bike without protecting your head, so daddy and I got you one last night." She leaned back at the train seat, still looking at Natsumi. "I just wanted to give it to you. Daddy says its like a good-bye present."

Natsumi's eyes were filled with guilty tears. "T-thank you . . . I wish I had something to give to you, too . . ."

"You already had."

"Huh?"

Miyuki's own eyes were wet as she looked at Natsumi. "You gave me a wonderful friend."

Natsumi was speechless. Lower lips quivering, she bowed her head, and wept silently.

Miyuki slowly reached out and hugged her friend, which Natsumi fiercely returned. "I don't want to say goodbye . . ." Natsumi cried.

Her friend could not answer. Miyuki just embraced her closer as they both wept with heartfelt sobs.

* * *

A young cadet made no effort to cover his mouth as he yawned, clearly displaying his discomfort. He leaned against the wall, his legs and arms crossed, the expression on his face representing complete boredom.

His superior officer, who stood right beside him, looked at him shortly and smiled. "Stand straight."

The cadet groaned. "Oji-san, we've been standing here for a while now!! When is that train coming anyway?"

"It will come soon," the officer patiently answered.

"Why do we have to take the kid home anyway?" the cadet grumbled. "Can't the railway police handle it?"

"The railway police handle railway events. This is a case of a lost child. That is our duty."

"Aww . . . can't you just dump her in another train headed for her home?"

"Why would you want to scare the kid into going home by herself?" Seeing his nephew's bad posture worsening as he slouched even further, he gave him a knowing glance. "Hey. Straighten up. If Arizuka sees you . . ."

The cadet immediately shuddered upon hearing the name of his instructor. "Please, oji-san. Don't say such bad words. I'm having a difficult enough time at the academy as it is."

The officer chuckled. "Well, when I retire, you're going to have to deal with him on your own you know."

"That won't be for many years." The cadet stared at his superior, a doubtful look on his face. "Hey, wait a sec. You're not really serious about actually becoming a Buddhist priest, are you?"

A train whistle caught both policemen's attentions as the train came to a complete stop at the platform a few meters in front of them. The cadet pushed himself from the wall.

"We'll see," the officer said with a smile. "Now come on. We have work to do."

"Finally."

While his uncle spoke with the attendants and the railway police, the cadet's eyes landed on the two little girls that stood between two adult civilians, holding hands and looking very much depressed. The eyes of the black-haired girl wandered towards him, and he smiled. This seemed to have made her uncomfortable, as she shyly turned away.

He watched as his superior officer approached and conversed with the two civilians. And just when the cadet thought he was going to yawn again, he saw the two little girls hug before letting go of each other's hands. He smiled.

His uncle and the male civilian walked towards him, the same girl who looked at him earlier with them. "This is the girl you'll be taking home," the officer told him.

The cadet kneeled down and gave her the gentlest look he could manage. "Hello. What's your name?" he asked.

The little girl bit her lip and looked at him shyly. "Miyuki," she answered meekly.

"Here's her address," the male civilian said, handing him a small piece of paper, all the while forgetting that that was his only copy of their newfound friends' address.

The cadet looked at the business card and almost choked. "Ka-Katsuura City, Chiba Preferecture?!"

His uncle grinned and patted his back. "Happy driving."

"From Bokuto to Katsuura and back . . . I won't have a demerit if I come home late at the academy, will I?" the cadet asked weakly.

"Well . . ."

"Oji-san!!"

"Mister Tsujimoto . . ." Miyuki said quietly, a scared look on her young features as she gently tugged on the sleeves of her friend's father.

Natsumi's father crouched down beside the cadet so that he could address the young girl. "I've already called your parents. They'll be waiting for you back at your house," he said gently.

Miyuki hesitantly looked at the cadet, who was still arguing with his uncle.

"Don't worry. He'll take good care of you," Natsumi's father assured her, sensing her fear.

"All right, all right. I'll make sure Arizuka won't be chewing on your back," the officer said, still grinning at his nephew. "Now go already, before you get back here _too_ late."

Scratching his head, he sheepishly looked at the child in front of him. "Sorry about that. Anyway . . ." He reached out and shook Miyuki's hand. "Nice to meet you . . . Miyuki, is it? You can just call me kanchou -"

His uncle snorted. "Dream on, kid."

Miyuki smiled a bit.

"Actually, he's a soushi, so you can just call him that," the officer informed the young girl as he placed a hand on the small of her head.

The train behind them whistled, indicating that it was about to leave. "We have to get going . . ." Natsumi's father said. "Please take care."

"No problem, sir," the cadet said, saluting crisply.

Miyuki looked back. Natsumi was standing just inside the train, where she had been lead by her mother earlier as Miyuki was brought to the policemen. Natsumi never did say goodbye . . .

"See you . . ." Natsumi mouthed.

Miyuki nodded. "Until then . . ."

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Miyuki turned from staring blankly at the dashboard towards the policeman who was driving her home. She shook her head silently, and then gazed at her hands.

"Don't worry. I'll take you home to your mom and dad in no time," the policeman assured her, freeing his left hand from the steering wheel and placing it on her head.

Miyuki smiled slightly before bowing her head further.

The cadet looked at her worriedly. "Is there anything else wrong?" he asked.

Miyuki's shoulders hunched. She opened her mouth, hesitated, then spoke in a soft voice, "I'm just sad to see my friend go."

"Oh." The policeman slowly braked upon reaching an intersection, his free hand moving towards the clutch to shift the car to first gear. "Is she moving to Tokyo?"

"No . . . she already lives there. We just met when they went to our place . . ."

"It's nice that you get to meet friends from places other than home."

"But . . . !" Miyuki looked up to him, her eyes filled with melancholy. "We might not see each other again! And she might forget about me!"

The cadet remained quiet.

The traffic light changed to green, and the vehicle started to move once more.

"I'm not going to lie to you," he finally said. "There will come a time when your friend could not even remember your name. And that you could not remember hers either."

Miyuki bit her lip and turned her head away.

"But whatever significant memory the both of you had shared will linger on in your dreams. Though you will not remember the name or face, you would remember when you grow up that once, there was somebody from Tokyo who played with you for a time, and had almost taken you back to Tokyo with her. That once there was a policeman who took you back when you got lost . . .

"And when you see each other again someday, and there comes a point when the both of you realize that you share a certain recollection . . . from there you attempt to recall and deep further . . . piece fragments of previous joyful moments back together . . . remembering again.

"As long as the person had made a huge impact on your life, that person will never be forgotten."

The cadet smiled at her. "After all. It may seem big, but you'll soon discover that we live in a very small world . . ."

In truth, Miyuki did not understand half of what the cadet had said. But she had understood enough to know that Natsumi would remember her again. That, and his calm reassuring voice, somehow managed to put her feelings at ease.

Miyuki was four years old.

And, she counted, she had 96 more years to look for Natsumi again, as was the typical belief of some children that people could live up to a hundred years.

That's a long, _loooong_ time.

And maybe, by then, she'd be everything she promised Natsumi she would be.

Miyuki leaned back comfortably on her seat, satisfaction running through her.

She never stopped smiling during the entire trip home.

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

* * *

Summer, several years later. Bokuto District, Sumida-ku . . .

Natsumi, wearing a safety helmet on her head, was on her hard-earned Honda Motocompo, pushing it to the limits the law would allow her as she was already running severely late for work.

It was just her extreme bad luck to run face to face with a mini patrol car. And just when she had committed something that actually deserved a ticket, having run a motorcycle on a prohibited place . . . and almost running into two kids, to boot!!

It didn't help matters much when the driver suddenly turned the car around and started to chase after her.

"If that's the case . . ." Natsumi said to herself, completely flooring her gas in an effort to escape. _We're just going to have to use some maneuverability that my little baby has . . . and that car doesn't!!_

The driver of the police vehicle looked amused as her perpetrator had increased speed and had suddenly turned into a tight corner. Having been a traffic police officer in the district since she was transferred there that spring, she already knew the area by heart. _We'll just have to catch her at the other side of her "shortcuts" . . ._ Miyuki thought, deftly maneuvering her beloved Honda Today into another, slightly wider side street.

Miyuki smiled as the personally customized car obeyed her smoothly. When the chief had let her choose her patrol car, for some odd reason she decided to use the relatively old modeled Today. Nobody thought she would ever catch any traffic law violator with such a vehicle, but when she managed to gain permission and tinkered around with the car's engine, as was her hobby, nobody ever had doubts about the car again.

Natsumi, never looking back, escaped into another corner, and chuckled to herself. "She couldn't have caught up with me at this rate," she said, her voice full of satisfaction.

She couldn't have been more surprised when, upon hearing the car horn, she saw the same police vehicle that had been chasing her earlier, a small canal acting as the only thing that separated them and preventing the officer from making an arrest.

Miyuki looked at Natsumi. Time seemed to have stood still as their eyes met . . .

Natsumi accelerated once more.

The race was on again. As it would always be . . .

* * *

_Kokoro no Takarabako (The Heart's Treasure Chest)  
Chocobo Racing ED_

Don't forget it--the days you played with me  
We followed the long roads on to forever  
And when, tired from running, we fell  
You always encouraged me

I want to keep running together forever  
And forget about hunger, forget about going home  
If we all could keep playing forevermore  
I'd want to return to that day I believed in

Do you remember the day we met?  
You were alone and looking bored  
When I called out to you, looking down  
You shyly showed me your smiling face

We ran out together and made our hearts burst  
I dream that something's beginning from now on  
If we could all keep playing forevermore  
We'll go back again to that day we've thought about

That's right: wind, blue skies, friends  
With everyone's smiles just the same  
I put them into my heart's treasure chest

Even now I keep running alone  
Unable to forget the dreams of those days  
If we should meet somewhere, show me that same  
smile  
And let's run again to the tomorrow we believed in

--  
_"One week of summer, that was fulfilling as a year, seemed as short as a day . . ."  
-Morisato Keiichi Ah! Megami-sama OAV 5: "For the Love of Goddess"_


End file.
